15 comments:

dont know where some of the boys confidence is. This is the same team that went 2-2-1 in its last 5 games and were talking about a turnaround when Andricopoulus joined the team. But yeah, Where are you Matt Davis? Man, you were the man last year but i dont know what is the matter with you abilities. If Nashville saw something in you enough to draft you, then bring it out because i think we need to go undefeated down the stretch to even have an outside shot.

I don't think it is fair to put the blame solely on Matt Davis. Matty is a very capable goaltender whom is facing atleast 20 quality scoring chances a night. He is also a great guy who works very hard. He obviously has a ton of potential, and showed it last year. But last year's team was more committed to defence, and was not giving up nearly as many chances as they are now. Defence is a team game, and if the Tommies want to win again, everyone on their team needs to be more committed. No goalie at any level can stop some of the chances that UNB buried on last night. Let's face the facts, the other teams in the league are more talented, defence is a collaborative effort and it is their only chance for success. Start trapping!!!

And why, pray tell, are other teams in the league more talented? Perhaps because their coaching staffs realize that recruiting needs to be a year-round priority. Methinks the job description for "Head Coach: STU Tommies Hockey" likely indicates that work during the summer months is preferred, if not required.

Obviously you are not a hockey person if you are questioning Mike Eagles' work ethic during the summer time. If you did know anything about hockey, or Mike Eagles, you wouldn't suggest he takes the summer off and doesn't try recruiting. Mike stated yesterday in the Daily Gleaner that he has to do a better job recuiting. Lack of effort is not the problem here. He knows he has got to do a better job. But he also may need some help. It's going to take more than just a coach to turn the ship around. He needs help from current and past players to bring some guys in like every other team, and more ownership from the school. Mike's a guy with a ton of character, he has proven that throughout his years as a player and a coach. He has as much, maybe more devotion to Stu, than he did as a NHL player for 16 years. METHINKS you need to get your facts straight before you start making accusations.

All I know is that since Mike took over more players have quit on him than any other coach. Some quit in the middle of the year by not playing hard, some quit by not playing when they still have years left. Maybe he's a smart pro-hockey kind of coach but the players don't like Mike no matter how much they'll lie when you ask. We're not losing cause we don't have as much money as the other teams or work hard enough in the summer like other teams, we're losing cause we don't work as smart as other teams. No excuses.

Nobody's looking for excuses here, but we are looking for something positive to build on....As a former player of Mike it disappoints me to hear comments about Mike and other players on the team. Saying hurtful things about someone who is very, very dedicated to his profession is downright wrong, and should not be tolerated. Nobody likes losing, especially to the guys across the campus. I can tell you from experience it does not feel great. What the boys need now is a little support, maybe some inspiration. All I know is the boys have an obligation to the Tommie faithfuls to give it their all every night. After the games over, the only guys they need to answer to is 25 guys in that room, and the coaching staff. They can be the judge of their effort. They have a difficult task at hand, and may not make the playoffs. But at the end of the year, when it is all said and done, they will all know what they are made of. As a former Tommie, I know that they will do us proud. Keep the faith.

While many respect Mike Eagles for his success in the NHL, The AUS is totally different gig.Mike was CIS coach of the year, primarily because of Derryl Smith's recruiting.Since that year, the program has gone steadily down hill.Recruiting is not all about resources or programs. It's about reaching out and selling your program.Until the administration at STU realizes or even cares, things won't change as long as Eagles is at the helm.Lost Tommies fan

Eagles is a good man and a good technical coach. He's not the most dynamic personality in the world. Maybe they should find some salary for a full time assistant coach whose primary job would be recruiting and selling the program. That's what's lacking.

No offense intended but this my opinion of the situation. I’m not the cruel type of child who pulls wings off the butterflies, but I think Eagles’ has been very sheltered by the media over the past few years for the situation that has festered. The media here in Freddy tends to “worship” anyone with past accomplishments and has always treated him with kid’s gloves. They still love to talk of his coach of the year designation, but have ignored any negatives until now, and even now they are only hinting at things. Media’s job is to make observations, stir the pot, and challenge the norm. The challenges facing STU hockey began a few years ago and unfortunately have festered into a huge, ugly zit that can no longer be ignored. You cannot have two straight years of unsuccessful recruiting, a large turnover in undergrads, apparent dissention in the dressing room two years back and again last year and a struggling team on the ice, and it not be noticed. If not for Matt Davis being MVP of league last year, maybe pressure would have been brought to bear sooner.

That is why they are “hinting” at the need for change – the last three games have forced their hand…the majority of Freddy’s sports community has been questioning the direction of the program for quite some time and don’t think for a moment that the media is not attuned to that community because they are….take a good hard look around the LBR – a good many of the strong STU supporters are in hiding; and it isn’t because of last weekend.

My personal view on Mike Eagles -- you would be very hard pressed to find a better hockey role model – 16 years in NHL despite being small, not a fighter, not a scorer….he did it on old fashioned hard work. I absolutely 100% respect him in that regard. As a coach, I think he is solid. But coaching in AUS also must be evaluated on on-ice performance, recruiting, visibility in community, etc….. And on those fronts the program has fallen on hard times.

I cannot comment on the Friends of STU issue and Eagles’ relationship with them…..or with his relationship with players….or scholarship money….all it would be is opinion or gossip.

But the sports world – even scholastically – demands performance and results. Yes a team can go through a bad stretch for a few years. But in today’s competitive environment, you have to at least keep up with the Joneses.

The media in Freddy is way too incestuous, they’ve been in their jobs forever, are complacent and control what is said and not said…..the media had no trouble fingering Tom Gillespie for letting UNB men’s b/ball program decline to point of near disaster – but even then they should have been onto that point a few years earlier when all the hard-core fans were making the same observations….this is also a media that won’t report on players coming east so as to not “offend” the coaches.

I think it will serve as a wake-up call to Eagles – now that it is in media he will have to be more accountable. Nothing wrong with that. Worst case, he finds himself without the coaching position, but I ultimately think that will boil down to his decision and not STU admin. He is a fighter and likes a challenge so I hope he steps up to the plate and silences his critics.

How is the fact that you have a bad hockey team at the smallest school in the conference, in a Conference where bigger schools are bringing in kids who score 100 goals in the OHL, the media's fault?Here's the deal, It's a UNIVERSITY. The hockey program is not the reason the university exists. They are students first, athletes second. They come out of the program as mature young adults. That's the more important byproduct of your student experience and your hockey program.As for the fact that the media here is"incestous" and not reporting on players coming east so as not to "offend" coaches -- that's a ridiculous assertion, not even worthy of debate.You care about the program and are embarrassed that it's not producing. Fine. But get a little perspective. It's a very small spoke in a very large university environment. You want to take away a man's LIVELIHOOD for the sake of a stretch of embarrassing hockey? And you want the media to lead the witch hunt?You're embarrassed because you look up the hill and see a program that is the Cadillac of the AUS. They slashed programs so they could devote more resources to their hockey program. They have the best university coach in the country perhaps -- and a full time associate.You could get Pat Quinn in here (to use the hot name of the moment) and not be able to compete with that, because the school doesn't have the programs or the resources. s

that's a new one, blame the media because the Tommies are bad. Do you really think a university bases it's personal decisions on what they read in the paper?As for Eagles, hire a new AD who has some vision, spend some money to raise the profile of the program and judge him by what he can do when he has the tools to work with.

First of all I am a UNB fan, but also a supporter of AUS hockey and a good healthy local rivalry, which has unfortunately taken a hiatus.

The only thing I believe the media is guilty of is not rattling the cage earlier - unlike in major cities, they are more passive and maybe it is because when you have job security why play with it??

The STU situation has been building and building. The recent articles in the paper have brought the performance issue to the forefront. Like it or not, that is exacly what mainstream media does - people read paper, talk, debate.

I have been to three Tommies games this year - and their loyal, sizeable legion of die-hards has whittled down. On-ice performance no doubt is a factor, but many of them were there during the teams dog-days...and they aren't now.

The recent articles have served to throw down the gauntlet and it is up to Eagles to respond....or step aside...or be replaced.

The team's recruiting the past few seasons has to receive an F, in a league where a B will only keep you up with the others. Undergrads are leaving at a significant rate. The fan base is shrinking. And they are sharing the same hill with a team going in opposite direction with best on-ice and off-ice marketing program in Canadian university ranks. This is the signs of a program needing a new direction and more focus.

My last point - professors are at university to teach and sculpt students. Full-time hockey coaches are there first- and foremost to teach hockey..but also to recruit, market and to cultivate players into young men. A successful program will do all of these and in AUS, you gotta be able to do all four to compete.

The Tommies did lose a lot of long time fans and supporters after Derryl Smith was fired just a year after the team won their first conference championship and went to nationals. When you go to the games now, there are a lot of familiar faces missing - some that had been supporters for a very long time. There was a comment here about the program going steadily downhill since Smith was let go and that Eagles was coach of the year primarily because of Smith's recruiting. I agree. Eagles started off with a team that Smith had recruited. Chances are anyone taking over that team would have some success in the beginning. But that's not going to last for long if you don't have the coaching background and experience to work with. And if current players aren't happy with the program, the coach - whatever - they're not going to recommend the school to others. And if the records show year after year you're not a competitive team for whatever reason, that's another hurdle to overcome when you're trying to recruit good players. It takes someone who can do it all - coach, recruit, promote/sell the program and get done what needs to be done. And there's no part of that you can let slide for any length of time before you start to see the repercussions.

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